Electric cars information

Regarding the July 13 article about the electric vehicle charging stations being installed by Avista: I am the owner of my second Nissan Leaf. My first was a 2012, and at the end of the lease I leased this 2015 Leaf. I know firsthand the distance anxiety, but after four years of driving a Leaf, I know what it’s capable of. Living in Spangle, I can’t drive it to Coeur d’Alene roundtrip without stopping and recharging it at the Nissan dealership.

Thus, the statement that a fast charge will provide about 200 miles is inaccurate, except for the Tesla. The maximum mileage for the Leaf is 84 (only 55 miles on highway and freeway) and is about the same for the EV Mitsubishi, BMW i3, Chevy Spark, VW e-Golf and Ford Focus. The Kia Soul EV will go over 90 miles on a charge.

The key thing to remember about driving an all electric car (as opposed to a plug-in hybrid), is the more one is driven on a highway or freeway, where regenerative braking and coasting doesn’t help to recharge the battery bank, and where higher speeds takes more power, the shorter the distance that can be traveled.

One other factor not mentioned in the article is the low maintenance cost. There are no oil changes, no tune-ups, no radiator flushes, no air filters, etc. In the two years of owning my present Leaf, my expense has been $9.99 for a bottle of car wax.

Lonnie Scott

Spangle